ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- In a top-ten matchup that more than lived up to the billing, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team stormed back in the first half and held on for a thrilling 59-54 victory over sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins (2-1) in the Jean Edge Classic on Sunday afternoon. Fifth-year senior guard Gabbi San Diego iced the game with two free-throws in the final ten seconds and added a season-high nine assists to help lift CNU to a win over the Blue Jays, who unseated the Captains in the 2023 NCAA Tournament second round. 

The rematch was set in Rocky Mount, N.C. at Everett Gymnasium after Hopkins earned a two-point win over the Captains last March. After a slow start that included a 20-4 first quarter deficit, the Captains were able to right the ship and respond with a 24-6 second quarter to sneak into halftime with a two-point lead, 28-26. From there, it was a back-and-forth battle between two of Division III's best. 

In the second half, neither team led by more than four until the final moments when San Diego, who hadn't scored to that point in the game, went to the free throw line in a three-point game. The veteran guard calmly sank both at the stripe to give the Captains the final edge, 59-54, and seal the nationally-ranked victory. 

The second half featured three ties and ten lead changes between the two sides like a pair of heavyweights trading body blows. Elizabeth Creed started the scoring with a layup off a feed from Camille Malagar, but Hopkins answered with a 5-0 spurt to retake the lead momentarily, 31-30. Then a triple from Malagar and a pair of free-throws by Creed after a nice steal flipped the scoreboard again. The game was tied at 36-all and then again at 38 points apiece before Kendall Dunham gave the Blue Jays a 40-38 lead with 4:43 left in the third quarter. 

Both offenses fell silent for the next three minutes as the defensive battle continued until San Diego picked up one of her nine dimes on a huge three-pointer from junior Hailey Kellogg with 1:17 left. The back-and-forth battle continued as Michael O'Neil then knocked in back-to-back shots for Hopkins to take a three-point edge, setting up another exclamation point for the CNU offense in the final seconds of the quarter. San Diego worked the ball up the court and Creed worked to get open on the outside; the point guard found the sophomore forward for the shot and her trey tickled the twine as the buzzer sounded to tie the game back up at 44-44. 

The fourth quarter was equally as contentious with CNU starting on a 4-0 run with Hannah Orloff and Hannah Kaloi each finishing in the first two possessions. San Diego set up the second shot after also securing a steal to get the ball back for the Captains. Another 5-0 mini-run for the Blue Jays tilted the score in their favor, 49-48, but Kellogg finished a layup on a pass by Alexia Lindsey to teeter CNU back in front. The junior guard then dialed up another big three-pointer to give CNU a 53-49 advantage.

Still, the Blue Jays were undeterred, scoring another five straight points with 3:34 remaining to move back in front on a layup by Michaela O'Neil. Leaning on their championship-caliber experience, the Captains responded out of a timeout with two and a half minutes remaining. The play was set up for San Diego to find Malagar and the two fifth years connected for the last lead change of the game when CNU took a 55-54 lead. 

The defense continued to reign supreme as both teams traded blocked shots on the next two possessions. Then, with 90 seconds remaining, Kellogg snagged a pivotal steal for the Captains to keep Hopkins away from the bucket. Creed found Kaloi for a layup with 1:12 remaining and CNU's three-point edge forced Hopkins into two straight misses from beyond the arc. With limited fouls called in the quarter, the Captains were able to drain the clock a key 13 extra seconds with fouls to give. Once CNU finally reached the bonus, it was San Diego who had the ball in her hands for the momentous free throws. 

Hopkins had two three-pointers off the mark in the final ten seconds and Christopher Newport secured the hard-fought win. Malagar had a team-high 14 points in the game for CNU while Kaloi added nine. Creed, Kellogg, and Lindsey each added eight apiece to lead another balanced offensive performance. San Diego's nine assists are the second most in her career for a single game and were paired with just three turnovers.

Christopher Newport shot 37.1 percent (23-62) from the field while holding Johns Hopkins to 30.5 percent (18-59). The rebounding battle was close, with the Blue Jays holding a slim 41-39 advantage. 

After going 2-0 at the Jean Edge Classic with today's win paired with an opening win against Johnson & Wales (NC) on Saturday, a pair of Captains were named to the Jean Edge Classic All-Tournament Team. Malagar and Creed collected the recognition for Christopher Newport and were celebrated following the win over Johns Hopkins on Sunday. Malagar finished with 31 points on 13-23 shooting (.565) including four three-pointers. Creed added 17 points (5-12) with 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the two-day event.

The Captains will take the week to recuperate and prepare for a trip to Widener University in their next matchup. CNU will face the Pride at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 23 for their next outing.